Episode 150. How to kill the gods (1)
There have always been many tales about gods. The ability to create stories is a feature that distinguishes humans from other animals. And fictional ‘gods’, whose existence couldn’t be confirmed, were constantly reconstructed based on human imagination.
Humans praised animals or prayed to the sky. They always needed something to lean on, and an almighty ‘god’ was enough to fulfill that need.
So simply put, humans basically created the concept of gods themselves.
“No animal predicts their fate by looking at the sky. No green plant, blossoming flower, or rock on the ground depends on or leaves their fate to an almighty being.”
I muttered as I tapped a piece of paper with my pencil. After that day, I searched all sorts of old records. Myths and tales about almighty beings were all stories that humans created themselves.
‘Transcendents build up their class through stories and shape images to create powers.’
But did that only apply to Transcendents? That was my biggest question. When I was staying in the world of Transcendents, I uncovered the nature of a Transcendent made entirely of fire. And the moment I was about to destroy it, the Traveler said that I had figured out how to kill Transcendents.
It was like solving a question. The moment I figured out how he was constructed inside and deconstructed his nature, the Transcendent would die.
So, if you created a scene where you destroyed the image they believed in, you could extinguish them.
‘Which means I have to destroy the very significance of their existence.’
I wrote down a sentence with my pencil. I didn’t know much about Transcendents, but it wasn’t difficult to figure out how they died.
‘The important thing is how to handle images.’
In the end, it wasn’t so different from dealing with monsters. In fact, it might be easier than fighting monsters.
This was a process that needed the perspective of the ‘Analyst Jeong Si-woo’, not the ‘hunter Jeong Si-woo’. Secretly taking out a building block and tearing down my opponent based on a small weakness. This was what I did best.
‘It’s like a game.’
If fighting monsters was an MMORPG where you built up your stats and followed an attack plan, this process was a sort of strategy game.
Reading the next move. A game where you predict everything based on a single piece of information and studying how and where to stab your opponent. It was a game I had played all my life.
My head became clear, and another line was drawn on my palm.
“I think this much… should be enough.”
Tap.
I put down the pencil and looked at the screen in front of me.
-Prolonged gaming can have an adverse effect on your health.
I thought strategy games were the most similar to the method of dealing with gods. So, I played for three days, thinking that it wasn’t a game but the real deal. My opponents were ordinary gamers, not Transcendents, but the practice wasn’t so bad.
-Player: Jeong Si-woo.
-100W 0L 0D.
Including my first practice game, nobody could beat me.
-Hell. Are you smurfing? Or are you a cheater? Who the hell plays like this!
I ignored the chats popping up on the bottom side of the screen and turned off the computer. I stretched my hand, took out my phone, and sent a message.
-There’s somewhere I need to drop by. I’ll call you when I’m done.
Then I looked up at the sky and opened my mouth. It wouldn’t take long.
“You kept summoning me, right? Why don’t you tell me why? Take me away.”
I concluded that it wouldn’t be so difficult to wipe out every single being that could endanger me and treat me like an insignificant toy.
[…I’ve been waiting for a very long time.]
And with that, my body slowly faded away. It meant that I was leaving my dear world and returning to the world of Transcendents.
[We can talk once you’ve returned.]
* * *
The Traveler’s world was no different from when I was there before. An empty white space with nothing special. In the center was the Traveler, an old man that resembled a mountain god.
“Time flows differently here and there, anyway. Why did you take so long? Do you have any idea how long I waited?”
“Haven’t you lived for a very long time? Waiting that much more shouldn’t be a problem for you.”
“You don’t know how valuable my time is. How frustrating.”
I went near the Traveler and comfortably sat down. He was about to say something, but he just let out a sigh and spoke.
“I guess you don’t know why I kept calling you. Yes, I may have been annoying because you thought everything was over, but I kept talking to you.”
“You are well aware of it.”
“Well… I do take an interest in you because this place is dull and boring. At least the same day doesn’t repeat where you were. But you are a Transcendent now, aren’t you? There are things you must do as a Transcendent, which is why I summoned you myself.”
“Things I must do…?”
“Yes. After all, I am undoubtedly the one who made you into a Transcendent. So it is my duty to tell you.”
His duty to tell me. Why was he rambling on like that? What was he about to say?
“A Transcendent is fundamentally a being who constantly builds up class. They leave their names in grand accomplishments or become the ones to start them. They grow stronger by accumulating achievements. Of course, you can be content with your current situation and remain that way. But then you will never be able to break away from your position, which is not good.”
“Why not? Isn’t that a dream life?”
“Yes. It is a comfortable life. But comfort comes with a price. For one, no one respects a Transcendent without a certain class. And you won’t be able to do anything you wish to do.”
“Being respected and doing what I wish to. Are those so important?”
“Of course. If you don’t want to lose the things you have.”
The Traveler looked at me sharply.
“You have already built a giant class. ‘Salvation’ is quite an impressive achievement. You have been a Transcendent for less than 100 years, but you saved your world from danger.”
“…….”
“And thus, your world has become yours. Your class surpassed that of the original god, so the world has become your possession.”
“Wait, the world has become my possession?”
“Yes. Haven’t you noticed? The feeling of growing stronger just by breathing, and a more intense sense of belonging.”
“…….”
I did. I felt like I was growing stronger with every breath and also felt my power amplify whenever other people lost their abilities. So that meant that the world belonged to me now?
“Simply put, you have become the god that people worship. A supreme being that religions look up to. The sky, the universe, the sun. You have become the entity that everyone prays to with their hands clasped.”
“…….”
“Transcendents feed on religious beliefs and faith and grow endlessly stronger. In a sense, you have broken out of your shell as a Transcendent since so many Transdendants do not have their own worlds.”
“Worlds…….”
“Yes. It is a very good thing. No one can dare invade a world that is ruled by a powerful god. Right now, thanks to your enormous class, no one can look down on you. The people you care for are safe for the time being, which is very good. But being responsible for something comes with a price, as you should know.”
I frowned at his words.
“But if you do not build up your class and settle for the present, others will try to rob you. From the Transcendent who tried to swallow up your world but failed to new enemies.”
“…….”
“So, to protect what is yours, you have to eventually grow stronger. Do you understand so far?”
The Traveler winked at me. I nodded absentmindedly.
Yes, I expected this much. I didn’t know that I had gained a world, but I did think that I had to become stronger. And I also anticipated that the Traveler, who kept trying to make me do things, would suggest something like that.
“I understand. So… I need to work hard to grow stronger as a Transcendent here, right?”
“Yes.”
The Traveler nodded contentedly. After observing his response, I spoke again.
“But before I do that, there’s something I want to try. Can you help me?”
“…Something you want to try?”
“Yes.”
The plan I prepared on Earth. The reason I stalled as I searched old records.
“To protect my world, I’ll have to fight other Transcendents one day.”
“Correct.”
“And you can’t help me forever.”
The Traveler’s face changed. He had realized my intention. Yes, there was no way he wouldn’t notice. I smiled faintly and continued.
“I want to personally fight a Transcendent before I begin my training.”
“…….”
“I want to try to kill a god with the class I accumulated.”
After I spoke, silence fell. I couldn’t hear a single sound. The Traveler gazed at me for a while, then broke the stifling silence.
“That is quite reasonable.”
His voice was indifferent and devoid of emotion. It was like he understood my intention but didn’t approve of it because I was straying from his plan. But he had agreed because he had no reason to refuse.
‘Of course, you’re dissatisfied.’
No matter how powerful someone was, they would feel uneasy if their toy knew how to kill beings like them and possessed a certain amount of power. Even the great Traveler would become wary.
Just the way many people kept cats or dogs as pets, but only a few raised wild animals with sharp claws and teeth.
Any living and breathing creature was bound to feel repulsed by death.
‘This is the beginning.’
Feeling instability with the image that constructs him. If my analysis was correct, the beginning of my plan had just been written. The Traveler had just taken a very small step closer to death with my words and his change in attitude.
‘I am not a toy.’
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